Finale: Team Dynamics

In what Alton called "the first-ever team cook," the four chefs are split into two teams of two, with one person responsible for the meatballs and another for the pasta and sauce on each team. While Chefs Sammy and Yaku work well together — Sammy even going so far as to say he "made a new friend" — the tension is high on the green team. "This is every man for himself," Chef Matthew declares.

The Ball Pit Is Back

In true evilicious fashion, a meatball test isn't complete without the now-infamous ball pit, in which Chefs Yaku and Matthew land themselves and are forced to prep their respective elements of spaghetti and meatballs. "This is not so bad once you get to relaxing," Chef Yaku says, but Chef Matthew doesn't have it so easy. "There's balls in my meatballs," he admits, though he's ultimately being sent home on account of too-dry meatballs.

A Record-Breaking Auction

"The most money ever paid for anything ever in Cutthroat Kitchen," Alton says of the unprecedented sum, $31,500, Chef Matthew spends to sabotage Chef Jernard with a mandate to not use salt in pasta and sauce.

High-and-Low Hilarity

By now chefs are used to diabolical sabotages revealing themselves through the dumbwaiter, but nothing could have prepared the Round 2 competitors for what the Bobs rolled out — an oversize seesaw on which two chefs would have to prepare their teriyaki dinners — and their reactions range from shocked to scared. "This can't be happening to me right now," Chef Jernard says simply.

All Isn't Forgiven

What started as a bromance of sorts during Round 1's team challenge seemingly ends in Round 3 when Yaku states, "It's time for some revenge" on his former partner Sammy, who saddled him with the seesaw earlier. Chef Yaku forces Chef Sammy to prep coconut macaroons on a hammock, and the former doesn't hold back on the tough chatter either.

Impromptu Performance

The last two rivals standing at the end of a five-part tournament, Chefs Sammy and Yaku, let down their guards for just a moment, long enough to break out into a macaroon-inspired rap. Chef Yaku's lyrics include: "I'm over here frying, chilling and stuff, and I'ma make sure my macaroons is tough. I'm bad."

Victory Calls for Dancing

As Cutthroat Kitchen's first-ever Evilicious Champion, Chef Sammy can't help but break out into a jig after learning of his $5,800 win — and Alton is quick to join him on the dance floor.

Heat 4: Separated by Sushi

"You can only use one hand at a time, so it's going to get a little weird in here," Chef Tregaye observes of her sushi roll, the hallmark of which is, of course, a rolled presentation. Since the large sushi table she's wearing physically separates her hands, she's prohibited from using both of them simultaneously.

Switch-Up Central

Chefs Carlos, Yaku and Aaron may have started Round 1 on a high note, but things quickly go awry when they're forced to "play musical stations" every time Alton sounds the gong. Immediately after the swaps, they size up their new stations and take in their rivals' food, which has just become their own. "Each station I went to was a disaster, and there was zero useable product," says Chef Carlos, who is ultimately sent home.

Strike a Pose

It's not often in the Cutthroat arena that a chef declares a sabotage enjoyable, but that's exactly how Chef Tregaye describes the catwalk, the first-ever challenge of its kind on the show. "This might be the funnest sabotage ever," says Chef Tregaye. She and Chef Yaku take their modeling seriously as they strike poses and perform impromptu shows between their cook and prep stations, all while using only the tools suspended from their fashionable getups. "Don't be jealous 'cause I feel fabulous," Chef Yaku tells his Round 2 rivals.

Pie Problems

While pumpkin pie may seem like a straightforward dish, believe it or not, both Round 3 rivals are novices when it comes to this dessert. Not only must they try their hands at it under extreme time constraints, but both are also saddled with a sabotage as well. She must mix and cook inside a pumpkin, and he has to wear a one-eyed jack-o'-lantern on his head, though he nevertheless manages to prepare a pie worthy of the win.

Heat 3: A Four-Wheeled Battle

Since nothing says fast food quite like a drive-thru, Alton sends two chefs into a (human-powered) car for the entirety of Round 1. "I thought it was Cutthroat Kitchen. It's turning into Demolition Derby," Chef Tommy jokes of the situation as he and Chef Frances maneuver the tight constraints of the kitchen around their fellow rivals. It's up to them to divide their time between each of their stations so that they both have time to prep, cook and plate their dishes.

Underwater Cooking

"This next sabotage may be my finest," Alton says of a particularly diabolical Round 2 challenge, which forces Chef Jernard to plunge face first into a fish tank and work on his scallop dish on the prep table just beneath it. "I put my head in the water and the first thing I see is fish swimming across my face," the chef admits. "I barely can see anything."

Payback

Chef Frances is proud of her evilicious history on Cutthroat Kitchen, which includes slicing a rival's raw steak before he could cook with it, but tonight her past comes back to haunt her. "Chef Frances, this is karma coming around to grind you up," Chef Jernard tells her after he sabotages her with pulverized scallops.

Funny Business

Even in the midst of a stressful battle, Chefs Jernard and Alexis let their humorous sides show as they present their Round 2 dishes to judge Jet. "This is my Jernard-Is-Going-to-Lose-Love-Chef scallops," Chef Alexis says as he introduces his dish to Jet. And just moments later, Chef Jernard explains to the judge while presenting his scallops, "I did fish out of the grimy Alexis Ocean."

Sweet Ground Work

For Chef Jernard, the third round is anything but a picnic as he dons a doughnut prep station. "It's beyond ridiculous. It's ridonculous," Chef Jernard admits. "We're going to make this thing happen," he proclaims as he works on the floor, and sure enough he does, ultimately presenting Jet with a win-worthy plate of doughnuts.

Heat 2: One for the Books

After presenting her dish to judge Jet, Chef Wiginton can't help but point out the irony that is her situation: "Chef Jet has the Guinness Book of World Records for largest stir-fry in the world. And I guess I've just made him the smallest stir-fry of the world."

The Not-So-Friendly Skies

Chefs Sammy, Wiginton and Kori are forced to prep their stir-fries in Round 1 as they sit three across in an airplane, but Chef Jason, who doled out this diabolical challenge to them, can't help but drop by and wish them good luck as they struggled in their seats.

Meet the Bickersons Next Door

In the spirit of Southern generosity (and sabotage), Chefs Sammy and Jason must split one basket of tools and one basket of food between them during the Round 2 chicken-fried steak challenge, and of course, the sharing isn't seamless. "What, am I supposed to, like, help you?" Chef Sammy wonders of his rival.

Shopping Sans Sight

Round 3 sees Chefs Kori and Sammy in the final battle, but unfortunately for her, Chef Kori's sabotaged by a blindfold mandate that prevents her from seeing as she shops for cobbler ingredients. "As I'm pulling all of this stuff out [of my basket], I realize I have no type of flour or breading — at all," Chef Kori admits once she's able to survey the products she grabbed.

A Sweet Sabotage-Free Victory

While big spending doesn’t always equal victory in the Cutthroat arena, it turns out that Chef Sammy's penchant for high bids serves him well today, as he enjoys a sabotage-free Round 3. Though judge Jet is underwhelmed by the too-acidic flavors in Chef Sammy's blackberry cobbler fruit filling, it's not enough to send him home, and Chef Sammy leaves with $8,300 and a spot in the finale.

Heat 1: A Near-Sinking Ship

The seas are anything but calm as three of the four Round 1 finalists find themselves preparing fish stew side by side in a cozy canoe. As is the case on the open water, the vessel rocks back and forth with each subtle movement, and Chef Morgan is kind enough to announce, "Coming out, knuckleheads," before she steps outside the boat, so Chefs Tom and Robert can brace their makeshift stations.

Good Question, Bad Answer

"What do they say? When you're in a hole, don't keep digging?" Chef Matthew wonders after mistakenly asking Alton Brown whether the eggs in the huevos rancheros are, in fact, runny. In true Alton fashion, the host answered that question by stabbing the yolks to prove their runniness, causing the precious gold to spill into the salsa, which only served to sabotage the competitors.

Evilicious Enemies

While few contestants are friends during a Cutthroat battle, Chefs Matthew and Robert take rivalry to a new level when they become intent on sabotaging only each other in Round 2. They hand each other challenge after challenge, including one in which Chef Matt forces Chef Robert to pull himself in a miner's cart during the carbonara test. "Chef Matthew's like a little mosquito, buzzing around," Chef Robert says.

Victory by Omission

"These guys are burying each other, and it's not a good move," Chef Tom says of Chefs Matthew and Robert's not-so-friendly alliance, but it turns out that their competition works to Chef Tom's benefit, as he stays sabotage-free in Round 2. "I got a free ride," Chef Tom explains happily.

Lesson Learned

In Round 3, Chef Tom wastes no time in bidding large sums for sabotages against Chef Matthew, who has no choice but to accept them, as he can't afford a counteroffer. "This is why you do not spend your money in the first two rounds so you end up with a chemistry set and a boxing glove on your right hand in the last round," Chef Matthew says of his situation.